I had a letter this week from Mary Geneva Magness, 3607 W. Monterey Way, Phoenix, Arizona 85019. She writes:

"I am a descendent of former Calloway County residents. My greatgreat-grandparents were Edward M. and Eliza P. Wrather Magness. My grandparents were Calvin Harris and Sally Black Magness. I have spent many days the past two years seeking genealogical records from Calloway County.

Just recently 1 found the birth of my grandfather Calvin Harris Magness; the marriage of my great-grandparents, Edward Eliza. This information bad been microfilmed by the Mormon Church Genealogical Society. I ordered the film from the Salt Lake Library. That information was a most welcome find for me. I had been told that no records for that period were available.

The above information was for the period 1852-1859, compiled by the Calloway County Genealogical Society, 1968. Reproduced by the Mormon Library, February 1971. Credit for that data were Mrs. Price Doyle, Mrs. Freeman H. Graham and Mrs C. W. Waldrop.

Has information been compiled for the 1880's? That is a period I need most. My grandfather Harris Magness married my grandmother Sally Black some time in the early 1880's, my father Alvie Lee Magness was born Sept. 26, 1883. A second son was born Oct. 3, 1885. A baby daughter, Eunice, was born in May 1889. My grandmother either died from that childbirth or shortly thereafter.

My grandfather married Mary Ida Drinkard December 2, 1890. My father was only six years old and too young to remember any details. He lived with his grandmother Black or his father's older sster Sarah Magness Davis most of the time. He spent some time with his father, probably not as much as he should have.

I would appreciate a reply if anyone can give me any information. I have been told Dr. Charles Clark of Murray is a descendant of Zacharlah Magness. I have been able to find a lot of information but never enough to complete just what I need.

I have all the statistics for my grandfather Calvin Harris Magness, except the date of his marriage to Sally Black. I have nothing on Sally. I have everything on Edward M. Magness, but do no have Eliza's birth and death rates. They were buried in the Farmington cemetery. I have the marriage of Zacharlah C. and Frances L. Magness, but no birth or death dates, except the approximate year of birth from census records. They were probably buried at Asbury Cemetery.

I was born Feb. 1, 1913 in Arlington, Kentucky. I grew up in Carlisle County and never married. I worked in Paducah for 18 years and moved to Phoenix in 1958. I worked for the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, as a photographic technician until my retirement in 1976. I have arthritis very severely, which prevents me from getting as much research done as I would like to.

I would appreciate a reply from anyone who may be able to advise or suggest anything that would be helpful to me."

Return to the Index of Judy Maupin's Genealogical ancedotes, stories and family notes.